Hell hath just frozen over

[GL]

The liberal feminazis join forces with the conservative Christians to boycott Abercrombie&Fitch. Link. We don't have this brand in Canada. Anyone care to elaborate on the controversy?

 

[Yzzim]

Link

 

[MrBond]

I think it's because A&F is a brand popular among lesbians. They find the styles more "man-like" then any other clothing.

And after seeing their catalog and website, I would think maybe it's popular among gay men. Ack, some of their male models are a little scantily clad for MY tastes

 

[Capn]

MrBond, funny you say that. A gay group here on campus put posters all around for an RPI-SUNY A gay mixer, and they used pictures straight out of the a&f catalog, it was hilarious.

 

[DannyLove]

soft-porn? BWAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAH, i dont think so man.

danny~!

 

[GL]

Is the catalog that bad? They're comparing it to pr0n but somehow I can't believe it's that explicit.

 

[MrBond]

Ack! I posted my reply before looking at the article. Thats the picture I saw on their website the other day and was horrified after seeing.

This isn't new for them...their christmas catalog a few years back was banned to minors and sold in shrinkwrap. Like Madonna's "Sex"

Damn, I really should read before posting. Turns out all their catalogs are now banned to those under 18.

I'd be interested to read that "drinking 101" feature....it must have been bad to get MADD's attention

 

[CinderElmo]

Linky

I am sure someone has posted this elsewhere...but this is the page that shows (censored - sorry) the stuff that is in this "clothing" catalog. I am all for nude women so don't take me the wrong way here, but how is this supposed to illustrate their clothes?

Funny stuff what companies can get away with.

 

[GL]

LMAO, this is what the controversy is about? Pictures of naked people! This doesn't even get close to explicit pr0n magazines. I don't think it's a sensible ad (where's the clothes?) but its funny that people would get all riled up over this.

 

[MrBond]

Wow...I thought it was just a hit of nudity here and there, not full frontal naked people!

And those girls! How the hell are they alive? I've seen starving kids in africa with more meat on their bones then those girls. Are we guys supposed to find that attractive?

 

[AaronP]

as if shareholder give a crap what the company does as long as the stock goes up. And anyone who would sell this stock because of this company's catalog alone = moron investor.

 

[GL]

MrBond, you've hit the nail right on the head. This whole boycott is based on the assumption that people are too stupid to know what they like and/or dislike. If you haven't engrained in your daughter's head enough positive values and confidence, and you aren't a good enough role model for her, then maybe she'd turn to a magazine for some sort of unconscious guidance as to how she should be.

 

[Einz]

this is funny... never liked A&F, looks like no one else does either

 

[BoberFett]

CinderElmo

That looks like pr0n to me. :Q

If they want to be in the pr0n business, fine. But then say that. Don't try to pass it off as a catalog.

 

[MrBond]

AaronP, as a shareholder, you should care what a company does. Take this hyopthetical situation.

Say you own stock in Company A. Then one night, Company A decides to run a special TV show. The screen will be split, on the right side are ads for Company A's newest products and a number to call to order some. On the left side is a man killing puppies for every minute that goes by and they don't get 10 orders. It may generate orders, and it may boost earnings, but if enough shareholders see it and think it's terrible, they may sell their stock because they don't want to be known as a "Company A shareholder" And the price plummets.

It's a drastic case, yes, but it shows why you should pay attention to what companies you invest in do...if they make boneheaded decisions sooner or later profits are going to slip.

Besides, this fad will wear off eventually. Remember No Fear anyone?

 

[GL]

It's not even close to pr0n. Maybe A&F is trying to align itself with the more European attitude of fashion - where nudity is the norm and it's not a biggie. A lot of fashion magazines and photography magazines have a lot more explicit pictures and they're not pr0n.

 

[IJump]

Looks like art to me.

 

[MrBond]

I remember a similar outcry over the Calvin Klein "Obsession" ads. The totally nude models were thought to be "Art". But at least they kept them out of magazines that would be picked up by the majority of Teens...

 

[goshdarnindie]

I was a stock holder in the company and got one of the controversal catalogs in the mail a few years back. It was stupid. Drinking 101 was a drinking game with shot recipes on it. Then there was this door hanger that said "Getting Laid" or something stupid like that on it. A&F costs to freaking much anyway. I'd rather shop American Eagle, Old Navy and JCPenny's for that matter then waste my time in that overpriced store.

 

[Viper GTS]

I don't see how that could not be considered porn. Anything more than extremely brief full frontal nudity in a movie is a pretty much guaranteed NC-17. The catalog doesn't look any different to me, & it's not brief.

Viper GTS

 

[GL]

Just because there's nudity in something, it doesn't make it porn. It's only in North America that people have such a hold-up with nudity. Go anywhere else in the world (ok maybe no muslim countries) and this wouldn't get a second look. I reserve the term porn for clear sexual acts, and as far as the pictures on that website goes, they don't involve sexual acts unless you let your imagination interpret them that way.

 

[luv2chill]

It's not porn--it's nudity. There's a difference. Pornography exhibts people having sex. I don't see anyone having sex in those pictures.

As for the NC-17 thing, I think movie censors are lame also. But keep in mind that NC-17 movies are completely restricted to people under 17. Similarly, the A&F catalog is only for sale to those 18 and over.

I don't see the problem here.

l2c

 

[isildur]

It is referred to as "soft-pr0n" guys - of course it doesn't compare to Passenger 69 or anything hardcore.
Is there full nudity? Yep.
Is it prurient? Harder to say, but it sure seems so.

The problem is that it contains enough nudity to make it illegal to freely distribute to minors - the catalogues are shrink wrapped in the stores and they are supposed to only give them to adults. However, any kid can go in to an A/F store and pick one up, so they are distributing nc17 rated material to minors; thus, the problem.

 

[Capn]

por·nog·ra·phy (pôr-ngr-f)
n.
Sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal.
The presentation or production of this material.
Lurid or sensational material: ?Recent novels about the Holocaust have kept Hitler well offstage [so as] to avoid the... pornography of the era? (Morris Dickstein).

 

[isildur]

It's not porn--it's nudity. There's a difference. Pornography exhibts people having sex. I don't see anyone having sex in those pictures.

Hmmm...

Main Entry: por·nog·ra·phy
Pronunciation: -fE
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek pornographos, adjective, writing about prostitutes, from pornE prostitute + graphein to write; akin to Greek pernanai to sell, poros journey -- more at FARE, CARVE
Date: circa 1864
1 : the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writing) intended to cause sexual excitement
2 : material (as books or a photograph) that depicts erotic behavior and is intended to cause sexual excitement
3 : the depiction of acts in a sensational manner so as to arouse a quick intense emotional reaction <the pornography of violence>


D'oh!